just cobble it up after a day of apple picking
I’m not really sure why this apple cobbler is “old-fashioned” other than the fact that it’s a pretty typical apple cobbler recipe and cobblers in general kind of remind me of an old-fashioned American dessert, or your grandmother’s kitchen. That said, apple cobbler really is the quintessential American dessert following, probably only, apple pie.
The name itself makes you think of an old lady in the kitchen, cobbling up a weeknight dessert, after the day’s apples have been freshly picked. While you may or may not be using freshly picked apples, this dessert really is one of those simple, if not almost mindless, recipes you can just whip up for the heck of it.
If you’re wondering what exactly an apple cobbler is, it can best be described as a deconstructed apple pie or apple turnover. A filling made with crisp apple slices is topped with globules of hearty dough, and then baked until it forms a nice, golden biscuit topping. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and that is fall dessert goals.
⟶ the recipe
old-fashioned apple cobbler
ingredients
For the filling
5 large apples, peeled and sliced
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the biscuit
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
45 minutes
Total time
1 hour 15 minutes
8 servings
instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a square baking dish with butter.
Make the apple filling. In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, vanilla, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss gently until apples are coated.
Transfer the apple mixture to the dish, and smooth into an even layer.
Make the biscuit dough by whisking together the flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chunks of butter and either crumble together with your fingers or use a pastry cutter to combine. Mixture should be crumbly with no obvious chunks of butter remaining.
Add the milk and heavy cream, and stir until combined.
It’s okay if batter is still a bit lumpy. Use a large spoon to dollop the biscuit batter in spoonfuls over the apples. Smooth over the batter slightly to make sure it’s pretty evenly distributed over the apples.
Sprinkle the 2 remaining tablespoons of sugar over the batter.
Bake cobbler for about 45 minutes, or until the apples are bubbling and the top is golden brown. Let the cobbler cool for at least 10 minutes, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
⟶ recipe notes
- Make sure you use nice, tart apples for this recipe so the fruit doesn’t get too mushy or sweet. Some good apple varieties to look for include Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Fuji, and Pink Lady
- I peeled my apples for this recipe, because I wasn’t really feeling have apple peels in my finished product, but if that’s your thing, you can totally skip the peeling. It will definitely save you time in the prep!
⟶ modifications
- If you want, you can use brown sugar instead of cane sugar for the apple filling
⟶ make it ahead and store it
- You can make this cobbler ahead of time and keep it covered at room temperature for up to 1 day. Reheat by popping it in the oven, covered with foil, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes
